A UN report on Wednesday said the humanitarian consequences
of the ousted junta's campaign of terror in the north
and east of Sierra Leone have been "severe".
It said despite the intensification of the military
campaign by the West African intervention force, ECOMOG,
against remnant fighters of the Armed Forces Revolutionary
Council (AFRC) and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF),
clusters of RUF fighters had moved north from Kono
in a well-coordinated campaign to re-establish some
of their former bush camps. Many of the villages on
the road from Kabala to Kono and to the north of Makeni
in central Sierra Leone have been attacked and many
civilians wounded and amputated.

The report said one of the difficulties in developing
an appropriate humanitarian response was gauging the
scale of the crisis due to a lack of reliable information.
Initial reports have indicated that there were some
14,000 internally displaced people in Masingbi, 15,000
in Makeni and 5,000 in Magburaka and Kabala. However,
security conditions had hindered interagency verification
of the figures. It was suspected that large numbers
of displaced were living in the bush but there was
no way of confirming this, the report added. Travel
by road from Freetown to Makeni and Koidu has been
severely restricted.

The report warned that displacement resulting from insecurity
in northeastern Sierra Leone would have "dire"
consequences in the agricultural sector. If farmers
were unable to plant rice by June, the harvest in the
north would be lost and large quantities of food aid
would be needed. The report pointed out that agricultural
recovery projects had averted starvation during the
period after the May 1997 coup d'etat and subsequent
sanctions.

Amputation terror hits children

A wave of atrocities by the ousted junta forces has
left hundreds of civilians disabled, including children,
AFP reported on Wednesday. A local NGO, Sierra Leone's
Handicapped Amputees Society, said it had recorded
260 mutilation cases, among which victims as young
as 10 months old. A UN official quoted by AFP said
those who make their way to hospital represented the
tip of the iceberg with large numbers dying before
they could get any assistance. The medical NGO, Medecins
sans Frontieres (MSF), in Freetown told IRIN it had
admitted 160 patients, a number of whom were maimed
from 6 April to 14 May. The source stressed that many
had had to have their limbs amputated because of infection
or other medical reasons.

The UN report said a nationwide assessment of health
facilities in Sierra Leone estimated that 60 to 70
per cent of hospitals, and peripheral health units
had been destroyed. The hospitals in Kabala, Makeni
and Magburaka had been overwhelmed by an influx of
war-wounded. There was a lack of beds, drugs and fluids.
UNICEF, WHO and MSF had dispatched small quantities
of mattresses, medicine, blankets and sheeting to the
north, but the needs were still not being met. Local
trucking companies have also been reluctant to transport
large quantities of supplies for security reasons.

NIGERIA: Thirty-eight activists charged with rioting

A Nigerian opposition leader and 37 activists were charged
on Wednesday with rioting and arson after a May Day
protest in the southwestern city of Ibadan, news reports
said. Seven people were killed and a number of buildings
were set ablaze during the protest. Property reportedly
valued at US$ 7.1 million was destroyed. The next hearing
is scheduled for 18 May.

Ola Oni, a veteran opposition leader and senior official
of the pro-democracy coalition, United Action for Democracy
(UAD), was charged with inciting the public against
the government by publishing a statement calling for
Nigerian leader General Sani Abacha to step down. Among
other activists arrested are Olisa Agbakoba, the UAD
president, and Chief Bola Ige, a former civilian governor.
International human rights group have called for their
release. The UAD called for protests in several cities
on May Day.

Oyo State security on "red alert"

The military administrator of Oyo State, Colonel Ahmed
Usman, said security forces had been placed on red
alert to stop any protest in the state capital, Ibadan,
Nigerian state television reported on Wednesday. Usman
told traditional, religious and civic leaders in Oyo
state, his administration was committed to protecting
lives and property but would not "fold its arms
and watch some people unleashing terror on innocent
citizens." He said the military had to be accommodated
as part of the Nigerian political structure.

Rights group urges G8 to take action against Nigeria

A London-based human rights organisation, Article 19,
urged the Group of Eight (G8), a gathering of industrialised
countries, to coordinate international action against
the Nigerian regime, Reuters reported on Thursday.
Article 19's deputy director, Malcolm Smart, said the
human rights situation in Nigeria is "appalling"
and denounced the international community's wait-and-see
approach. It was apparent that the transition process
was flawed, he said. Smart called on Britain to show
consistency and resolve in applying what Foreign Secretary
Robin Cook said would be an ethically-based foreign
policy.

Meanwhile, Nigeria's High Commissioner (ambassador)
to South Africa, Alhaji Shehu Malami, said he did not
have to make any apologies for his government's human
rights' record, South Africa's 'Business Day' reported
on Wednesday. Speaking to a South African foreign
affairs committee on the situation in Nigeria, Malami
said Nigeria was being maligned in the South African
media who "sheepishly echoed the prejudices of
their western counterparts".

Fuel buffer stocks considered

Nigeria may establish a strategic fuel reserve to prevent
chronic fuel supply problems, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
Nigerian Petroleum Minister Dan Etete said the government
was studying the feasibility of establishing a strategic
reserve to cover 30 to 45 days. Major Nigerian cities
have been facing chronic fuel shortages over recent
months.

SENEGAL: Mine kills one, wounds seven in Casamance

One person was killed and seven injured, three seriously,
on Tuesday when the public transport vehicle they were
in struck an anti-tank mine in the southern province
of Casamance, AFP reported. The incident took place
at Mangadouka, 30 km east of the provincial capital,
Ziguinchor. Government troops reportedly clashed with
alleged rebels of the separatist Mouvement des Forces
Democratiques de Casamance (MFDC) who tried to attack
villages in Kolda region, the report said.

The Senegalese army launched a major offensive against
the MFDC earlier this year. Appeals for a ceasefire
by the leader of the moderate wing of the MFDC, Augustin
Diamacoune Senghor, have been rejected by MFDC hardliners.

NIGER: Ten papers shut for tax debts

The authorities in Niger on Wednesday closed down 10
private newspapers over non-payment of taxes, AFP reported.
Almost all the independent press has been affected
by the move, the report said. The offices of the largest
paper 'Tribune du Peuple' was sealed and staff evicted.
Only the weekly 'Republicain' was unaffected. According
to AFP, most of the closed papers have suffered similar
measures in the past but have always managed to obtain
reprieves from the tax authorities.

Tension between the press and President Ibrahim Mainassara's
government has increased since the opposition launched
a campaign of demonstrations demanding Mainassara's
resignation in mid-April. Since then the government
has repeatedly accused the press of "propagating
false news under the control of the opposition",
AFP said. Journalists have also complained of censorship
and intimidation.

Opposition supporters released

Meanwhile, eight students accused of rioting were released
on Tuesday, AFP reported, quoting reliable sources.
The interior ministry claimed the eight were acting
on behalf of opposition groups calling for Mainassara's
resignation. According to the police, several opposition
supporters detained in late April during violent demonstrations
in the southern city of Zinder were also released,
AFP said. Official sources quoted by AFP also said
six other suspected "rioters", including
several students, were still in detention.

GHANA: Togo and Ghana to forget past differences

Ghanian President Jerry Rawlings and his Togolese counterpart,
Gnassingbe Eyadema, signed a memorandum of understanding
on economic, political and security cooperation at
the conclusion of Eyadema's two-day visit to Ghana
on Wednesday, news organisations reported. The two
countries also agreed to put past "misunderstandings
and irritants" behind them and stressed their
commitment to "the sustenance of democracy",
according to Reuters. In the past, Togo has accused
Ghana of supporting subversive activities by the opposition.

LIBERIA: France pledges US$ 5 million to restore phones

France on Wednesday pledged US$ 5 million to help rehabilitate
Liberia's telecommunications system which was severely
damaged during the civil war, Reuters reported. The
money will be used to replace telephone cables, improve
international telephone links and provide technical
expertise.

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